170 THE HUMAN SIDE OF BIRDS 



their bodies. Herons have four great patches, two 

 on the breast and two on the thighs; but in some 

 birds they are scattered over the entire body. That 

 this condition is of aid in the drying process is highly 

 probable, although, as yet, it has not been proved. 



All birds of any part of the earth have methods 

 and processes by which they maintain their beauty 

 and the usefulness of their feathers at the highest 

 possible standard. There is no one who has not 

 witnessed many of these various ablutions among 

 the birds of this or that particular region, and many 

 interesting tales are told about them. All species 

 accept the necessity and desirability of beautifying 

 themselves, and proceed with the art according to 

 their abilities and modes of life. 



Perhaps as time goes on bird life will take on new 

 phases, and conditions not yet dreamed of may 

 make it imperative that those birds which survive 

 advance still farther in the details of their toilettes. 

 If ever such changes occur nature will provide the 

 means for more elaborate methods, and the mental- 

 ity of birds — ^which, it is the author's belief, already 

 far exceeds the generally accepted estimate — ^will 

 meet the new conditions with the same intelligence 

 and insight with which they have faced the different 

 adjustments of life since first their race began. All 

 necessities they have met and overcome in their way 



